This invention relates to circuits for transmitting and receiving information in a local area network.
Basically, a local area network is comprised of a plurality of stations in which the output terminals of one station connect to the input terminals of the net station. These connections are repeated for each station, and the output terminals of the last station connect to the input terminals of the first station to form a loop. Networks of this type are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,070 by Bell and assigned to Burroughs Corporation.
In operation, signals are transmitted from one station to the next station until they travel all the way around the loop. By this means, information can be sent from any one station on the loop to any other station on the loop. A feature of the present invention is that it provides a circuit which can be used in each station on the loop to transmit and receive both voice characters and data characters. Also, with the disclosed circuit, these characters can be transmitted and received in multiformatted sequences. Further, the disclosed circuit has a novel architecture which makes it small in size and quasi-repetitious in structure so it is suitable for integration on a single semiconductor chip.